Succession Games
by handroid
Summary: Adopted from Allora Gale's oneshot of the same name - "In an alternate universe where Geass never existed and Marianne had never been killed, Lelouch vi Britannia is plagued by an entirely different set of concerns."
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: **This is the original oneshot "Succession Games" written by Allora Gale. I have put it here word for word with permission. Code Geass and its characters are the product of Bandai Entertainment

* * *

Lelouch was nervous as he sat in the garden of the Aeries Villa – home, though he knew that he would no doubt be leaving here within the next half a year at the latest. It was time. He couldn't live sequestered away in this villa for the rest of his life. He was already seventeen and it was probably overdue.

Schneizel had moved out of his mother's home at sixteen.

Yes, he was already behind, but he hadn't been able to bring himself to leave quite yet. Because up until now, he hadn't made his decision yet. He hadn't decided what he wanted to do with himself. What was he going to do with the rest of his life?

He hadn't quite known. The possibilities had been next to endless. He could have pursued practically any career of his choosing. After all, he was only the Eleventh Prince of Britannia. There were plenty of others closer to the throne to do the important work for the Empire. He could have done anything at all.

He took a deep breath, hesitantly sipping from his tea as the silence made his skin crawl. He glanced across the table at his mother (sitting patiently as she watched a bird at the feeder, waiting for him to gather the nerve to speak) and Nunnally (looking bored and impatient as she idly stirred her tea).

He should say something. After all, he was the one who had invited them both here. He'd asked them to have tea with him in the garden so that he could talk to them about something important. It was too late to back out now – and he didn't want to back out anyway.

It was just . . . it was just that this was risky. And this would be a marked and drastic change that would likely affect them too. What he was about to do would inevitably drag them in along with him.

But even with that said, he wasn't about to ask them for their permission. He'd already made up his mind. This was just to inform them of the choice he'd made.

"I . . ." His voice cracked and he was acutely aware of the way the uttered syllable had drawn both his mother's and sister's identical cerulean gazes back to him. He swallowed, took a deep breath to calm himself before continuing. "I'm . . . going to become the next Emperor of Britannia."

There.

He'd said it.

He 'd officially joined the succession game.

He knew the danger this would entail and he knew the risk he was putting his family in. But he'd already made up his mind. Besides, the security at the Aeries Villa was better than anywhere else on St. Darwin Street except the Imperial Palace and his mother was a Knight. Speaking of . .

"After Father passes away, of course." He clarified for his mother so she wouldn't have to be worried about them going up against each other.

For a moment he didn't dare to look at her. But then he gathered his courage and lifted his head to witness his mother's wide, confident smirk.

A part of him knew that she'd always been waiting for this. She'd never tried to guide him or manipulate him into choosing this path. No, on the contrary she'd remained insistent that he would have to choose his own path, but he'd always known that she'd hoped for this result. Because she was a commoner and he was a common-born prince and it would rub it in all of their enemies faces. Because he and Nunnally had suffered harassment and torment like none of the other royal heirs had.

Because it had made him hard enough and cynical enough to see past the empty platitudes they offered him at court when they needed him to solve their problems. Because he was smart enough not to let them see that he knew. And because it had made him cold enough to hold the rest of the royal family at bay.

The only ones he considered family were sitting at this table. The rest were simply rivals.

His mother grinned and leaned forward to squeeze the hand he had resting on the top of the table. "I was wondering when you'd make up your mind. I'm proud of you." She said softly. "Of course, you'll have my support so long as you don't make a move against your father."

Which was something he'd already known. However much she loved her children, Marianne vi Britannia was first and foremost a Knight, then a mother, then an Empress.

"I have no intention of moving against my father." He assured her again, to which she nodded.

He glanced at Nunnally, just as wary of her reaction. She'd stopped stirring her tea, the spoon held motionlessly in her cup as she stared at him wide-eyed. Then she recovered and composed herself, setting down the spoon with a loud _clink_ against the saucer.

"Do you know how much danger you're going to be putting yourself in?" She demanded suddenly. He'd also expected this kind of reaction. Lelouch had always tried to protect her. He'd made plenty of enemies over the years for coming to her defence whenever someone had dared to insult her in his presence. They could say whatever they liked about him, but as far as he was concerned, going after his sister was tantamount to throwing down the gauntlet.

It was only recently that he'd discovered his sister considered him the same way and had been secretly protecting him at the same time he'd been secretly protecting her. She had a sharp tongue when she wanted to use it – an inheritance from their mother, no doubt. But she also had enough sense to present herself as just another noble dove, camouflaging amongst those who secretly scorned them.

Nunnally was docile and charming right up to the point where you offended her. Then, she'd rip you to shreds.

"I do." He nodded. Those striving for the succession were often assassinated before they could become a viable threat. Clovis had died for precisely that reason earlier last year (though of course the killer had never been found). However, he had no intention of letting himself be killed. He would be selecting a Knight of Honor and building up a Royal Guard in the upcoming weeks to make sure of it. "I just can't picture myself kneeling for Schneizel."

"Odysseus is -"

"Not a threat." He said, cutting off his sisters correction. Odysseus might be the crown prince, but he was also an idiot. In fact, it was likely only because he was such an idiot that he'd been allowed to live this long. And this was undoubtedly something the crown prince knew.

"Schneizel is certainly a powerful opponent. But he's a politician. He likely has assassins by the dozen, but he won't be able to effectively rally the army. I can help you with that." His mother assured him. "In the meanwhile, you shouldn't go anywhere unprotected. You neither, Nunnally. I wouldn't put it past Schneizel to target you to get at Lelouch."

"Thank you." He said gratefully. His mother's connections would prove invaluable in this endeavour.

"And I'll talk to Charles about elevating your position to give you some real tangible power. No matter how many other women he marries, I'm still the favorite."

He smirked. If she could manage that much he'd be laughing. He'd never asked the Emperor for anything before in his life. He'd never sought assistance in any of the conflicts he'd come into, he'd never petitioned the man to get the harassment he and Nunnally suffered to stop and he'd never brought shame on the Britannia name.

He was a model student and a perfectly polite gentleman (right up to the point that someone insulted Nunnally, that is) and had never been disciplined or reprimanded for his public dealings. The Emperor would have no viable reason to refuse him.

Still, even with the Emperor's support, it wouldn't be easy to get rid of Schneizel. He hoped he was up to the challenge. Though, of course, Schneizel wasn't the only one he needed to be worried about.


	2. Chapter 1: Setting Up the Pieces

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Code Geass or any of its characters. Code Geass is the property of Sunrise and Bandai Entertainment

* * *

Setting Up the Pieces

_Marianne made her way through darkened hallways. Her boots, slick with filth and gore, made no sounds as she moved. Elizabeth III, Ricardo the Lion, Henry XII, Charles III and all the other emperors and empresses of ages past, looming large in their enormous frames, seemed to watch her as she passed. Her destination lay just around the corner at the end of another hallway. Even as she turned the corner, her instincts told her to retreat. With the agility only the elite soldier possessed, she threw herself back the way she came just as bullets whizzed past where she once stood. _

_A man called out, "Identify yourself!"_

_Marianne drew her machine pistol and gripped it tightly, readying herself for a fight, "Marianne Lamperouge. Former Knight of Six."_

"_Lady Marianne!" the man cried out in obvious relief, "Thank the Heavens! Please come, His Majesty will want to see you."_

_Cautiously she took a look around the corner and saw a short, bald man in military dress standing in the open. A rifle, no doubt the one fired at her moments before, was slung across his back. She stepped out from cover and whipped her gun level at his chest before walking towards him. _

_When she was only yards away, recognition dawned and she lowered her gun, "Brigadier Finn, I was under the impression that the Coldstream Guards were no longer loyal to the emperor."_

"_Many turned traitor but while I am alive and in command, the Coldstream Guards are in the service of His Majesty. The men who have defected can no longer have the honor of calling themselves a Coldstreamer."_

"_An admirable sentiment. And what of the Rounds?" _

"_All but the Knight of One have been deployed but Two, Three, Eleven and your successor Lady Hamilton are already dead at the hands of that traitorous dog."_

"_The former Knight of Five chose his path and will reap what he sows. You said the emperor would want to see me, where is he?_

_Finn glanced behind him at the door at the end of the hallway, "In his office. Lord Alexander and Lord Cunningham are with him now. I'm afraid you'll have to wait although they'll be done soon."_

"_I don't think waiting will be necessary." Marianne quickly raised her gun and fired off three shots into the general's chest. He gaped at her with a betrayed look in his eyes and fell over. She crouched down over him, "I'm sorry Finn. I can't allow you to live when you and your family so ardently support the emperor. But think of it this way: Your death will allow the swift termination of this civil war. And in a few minutes it will be practically over. Goodbye general. You served your master honorably. Unfortunately you chose the wrong master." _

_The last thing Brigadier Finn saw was a machine pistol being aimed at his head. _

* * *

Nunnally glanced away from her book as the door to the study opened. Her brother entered and proceeded to an old armchair by the window. The choice of seat said a lot about who Lelouch vi Britannia was she mused. It had once belonged to their grandparents (Their mother's parents of course).And while it did not look out of place in the study of Aries Palace, there was no doubt the rest of the imperial family wouldn't deign to even look at it let alone sit in it. Its satin fabric, once a rich fire engine red, was now faded by years of sun to a light salmon. The back reclined slightly and creaked whenever weight was applied, which was every time someone sat in it. The cushion was soft, worn out from years of use. It was the sort of chair one could sit in for forever without ever being uncomfortable. The sort that one could just curl up in with a good book and read away the hours. It was, in other words, a perfect chair for the elderly to enjoy their last years in. It was the chair their grandpapa had spent his remaining days reading the paper and napping in and when he passed their grandmamma had spent her last years in it knitting away. The reasons it was a good chair for the elderly applied equally to Lelouch. Her weak, fussy, overprotective and more than often lethargic brother. Her brother, who could (and often did!) sit in that chair all day as he chewed through endless pages of history texts and scientific treatises or more commonly, napped. Her brother, who on a good day could only be roused from bed by the horns of the apocalypse. Her brother, who so abhorred exercise he had chosen to learn to cook and paint with her instead of joining the other princes in their athletic endeavors. Her brother, who would be staking his life and possibly hers as well on the most brutal and cruel game any human could ever play.

But just like the chair, Lelouch had virtues that were not at first glance observable. He was charismatic when he wanted to be. Even some of Marianne's most dedicated opponents had acquiesced to his wishes once or twice. He was patient to a fault. Grandpapa Lamperouge had once told him, "Meekness is just uncommon patience in planning a revenge that is worthwhile. Do not let the label of meek stop you from being patient." and Lelouch had taken the words to heart. He was brilliant she knew. Far more brilliant than any of the other imperial siblings except perhaps Schneizel and even then it would be a very near thing. He was cunning, a trait acquired from being the son of Charles and Marianne. Nunnally knew that cunning and intelligence were not the same and to be one without the other would be to invite doom by one's own hand or by the hand of others respectively. He had both though and combined they would make him a fearsome adversary. Above all, it was his determination that set her brother above the rest. When Lelouch was determined, she believed, none could stand in his way. When their mother had told him the only way to escape their insipid tutor was to be a university student, he managed to earn acceptance to Pendragon University under a pseudonym before the age of 13. Two years later he graduated with dual degrees in Physics and History. It was these qualities she hoped, infinitely greater than anything the old chair could ever aspire to, that would crown him the victor in the vicious game of kings.

He was sitting now and his amethyst gaze flickered over to meet her cerulean one "Mother asked you to meet her here as well?"

Nunnally turned back to her book, "Yes, do you know why?"

But before he could answer, the door opened once more and Marianne marched in followed by what appeared to be an enormous stack of manila folders with legs. She pointed at a table "Be a dear and set them on the table there won't you Jeremy?"

The siblings looked at each other as their mother's knight lowered the precariously balanced stack of files onto the oaken table in front of Nunnally. "Mother, what are these?" she pointed at the stack now blocking Marianne from her view.

Marianne assumed a matter-of-fact tone, "You are both to choose knights of honor. You're both grown and will be venturing out into the world by yourselves. It will be quite impossible for Jeremy to watch all three of us at once, wonderful as he is." she turned and graced her knight with a smile.

Jeremiah bowed, a hint of a blush on his face, "You honor me my lady."

"Your safety is important to me, a mother has to worry about these things you know." still smiling as she turned back, "As you've probably guessed now, these folders contain the profiles and histories of potential candidates to serve as your knights. Jeremy and I spent the morning trimming down to the five hundred or so applicants you see before you."

Lelouch goggled at her, "Five hundred? You trimmed it DOWN to five hundred?"

"Yes so there should be plenty of choices for the both of you. No arguments Nunnally." the empress's tone brooked no protest as she looked over the pile at her daughter. Nunnally, who indeed had been ready to object, crossed her arms and pouted instead. She understood the need for a bodyguard now that Lelouch was striving for succession but that didn't mean she had to like it!

"Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go see your father about a job." Marianne turned and began to walk out. Jeremiah gave a low bow towards the prince and princess and followed his empress.

"Wait!" Nunnally called out. She had just thought of a way to maybe, just maybe get out of this, "What if we don't find anyone we like?"

Their mother turned around and though her smile was still kind and loving, her eyes shone with steel and the promise of punishment should her wishes not be fulfilled. Nunnally had only seen her mother use this look a handful of times in her life and it had never been directed at her or Lelouch. "Then we find another set of candidates and another and another if necessary until you choose a Knight of Honor. Until then, you'll be forbidden from leaving the palace." She turned and resumed her walk out.

Lelouch sighed and reached for the top of the pile, "Let's get started then, this could take a while."

Nunnally gave her brother a look not unlike Marianne, "This is entirely your fault you know."

* * *

_With Finn dispatched, there was nothing between her and the emperor. Marianne picked up the dead man's rifle and threw it across her back. With any luck there wouldn't be a need to use it she thought. However her training had instilled the tendency to plan for all eventualities and an extra gun, especially a rifle when she only had a pistol, could never hurt. As she got closer to the emperor's office the style of the portraits on the walls became more modern, reflecting the most recent Britannian rulers. Guarding the doors were the frames of the two most recent emperors. _

_Edward VIII, father of the current emperor and deceased for barely a year, glared down authoritatively from the left side of the hall. Henry XVI, the current emperor, stood opposite with an expression that was less imperious and more fatherly as if seeking to guide his subjects instead of command them. Therein lay the issue: he was a weak-willed emperor and prone to foolishness. Nominally crown prince after George zi Britannia was assassinated, Henry had not been expected to ascend to the throne. But in a rare display of spine he had kicked off a succession crisis and led a palace coup before Edward was cold in the grave. Henry usurped his not yet crowned and more worthy brother James who had been Edward's chosen successor. Henry's quick coronation and James' execution on the same day gave the other branches of the imperial family reason to believe it was open season for the throne. The noble families drew battle lines, each hoping to benefit and bathe in the riches and glory that would come should their candidate win the crown. In a matter of weeks, many of the weaker and smaller branches were either eliminated or brought into the fold of the stronger families through marriage or coercion. The noble families that chose wrong were punished ruthlessly. This vicious process had repeated itself over and over again for months until only two of the imperial branches had the will and family members to keep fighting. One was the mi Britannia line which Henry belonged to. At the start of the conflict, his numerous relations among the most powerful noble families had given the emperor a strong base from which to quell the rebellions. A series of political marriages to cousins in the other imperial branches only strengthened his support. Unfortunately one event did not change the inherent nature of a man. Henry's susceptibility to listening to favorites compounded with indecisiveness and terrible judgment turned his allies into enemies. They fled to the arms of his rivals and he would be forced to expend more resources to remove those he once called friends. Pleas for leniency for family members by his advisors went unheeded as he executed all he considered a threat. One by one, allies abandoned him until only his mi Britannia clansmen and the most devoted of followers remained._

_The other imperial line was the last one anyone expected to remain in the arena. The twins Victor and Charles zi Britannia had entered the war as the smallest of all the branch families. After their father George had been murdered when they were children, the enemies of the zi Britannia family had carefully pruned that family tree until the boys were all that remained. No one expected them to become a threat, not after the suffering they had gone through. But both had grown into powerful and imposing men, too important to kill lest they arouse the old emperor's suspicions. Victor, the elder brother, was a celebrated soldier and an Imperial Field Marshal. His organizational abilities had resulted in his grandfather appointing him Minister of Defense, overseeing the entire armed forces of the Empire. Charles, younger by only a minute, was, if possible, an even more celebrated soldier and also an Imperial Field Marshal. His mastery over the art of war had seen him made Imperial Chief-of-Staff and Commander-in-Chief of Edward's armies. Together the brothers had extended the reach of the Empire to Australia, New Zealand and even the Middle Eastern shores of the Mediterranean, threatening Britannia's eternal rivals in the Old World. When James' execution began the larger succession crisis, none of the other Imperials gave a thought to the zi Britannia brothers. After all, the only political support they had ever enjoyed came from Edward and he was dead. What no one had foreseen was the incredible amount of support the brothers would receive from the military. From the nobles in the military Victor and Charles would derive a powerful political base. Nearly the entire army, from the lowest private to the most decorated general swore loyalty to the zi Britannia brothers. They knew it would be with either Victor or Charles sitting on the throne and no one else that the supremacy of Britannian arms would continue. The story was similar in the air force and navy although their enemies were more numerous in these service branches. _

_Henry compensated by conscripting soldiers from the parts of the Empire controlled by him or his allies. His conscripts greatly outnumbered the regulars. To move them he bought or borrowed ships and aircraft from foreign powers with borrowed money and promises of a peaceful empire, a promise that cost him allies. When the loyalist armies met the brothers' armies, it did not matter how many more men or how much more materiel he had. For the regulars were led by Charles zi Britannia, a commander so audacious and brilliant the world had not seen his like since Napoleon, and he lead his troops from victory to victory all the while hammering back the imperial conscripts. As the lines of battle drew closer to Pendragon, loyalist generals and conscripts alike defected to the zi Britannia cause until finally the imperial capitol was surrounded._

_It was funny Marianne thought. After all the lives the brothers had taken and all the property they had destroyed, they would want to keep the city intact. However it was the capitol, a symbol of Britannia's power so Marianne, former Knight of Six and her colleague Bismarck Waldstein, former Knight of Five had been dispatched with orders to locate Henry. They were to eliminate him themselves or call in Special Forces if the emperor, the pretender as he was now being called, was too well protected. She and Bismarck had entered the city from opposite ends. While she had encountered no resistance, Finn had inadvertently told her that Bismarck had already met and dealt with four of the Rounds and that the Knight of One was still around somewhere. She readied her machine pistol and kicked the door to the emperor's office open. She opened fire before the door had fully opened. Anyone inside would be no friend to the zi Britannia brothers. As soon as the clip was empty, she dropped her gun and brought the rifle to bear before taking a step inside. There was no sign of the pretender. In front of her was the emperor's desk and behind it a cracked window embedded with bullets. Paper, shredded by her gunfire, was slowly falling to the ground. The left side of the office was empty but against the right wall slumped the bodies of Lord Alexander and Lord Cunningham, a field marshal and admiral respectively. A movement caught her eye; Cunningham was struggling to raise his head. When he finally propped his head against the wall he croaked, "Traitor."_

_Marianne crossed over to where he sat, "Where is the pretender?"_

_Cunningham spat in her face. She turned her head just in time to feel her cheek splattered with blood and spittle. She raised her rifle and put a bullet through his head. Then she put one in Alexander just to be sure. A rustling noise from behind caused her to spin and aim. "Come out pretender, at least Prince Victor and Prince Charles will give you a trial before you're executed. More than what you gave to Prince James."_

_A whimper sounded out from beneath the desk. Marianne approached and kicked the desk chair aside. Crouching underneath the desk was Henry XVI, Emperor of Britannia looking like a terrified child. Henry had not been a young man before this war had started but it appeared as if he had aged 20 years. His hair, previously a light golden yellow, was now white and falling out in some spots. Dark bags underneath his eyes evidenced that he had not slept well in some time. His clothes were bloody and his emperor's cloak, a symbol of his station, was in tatters. "If you won't come out, well…" she trailed off suggestively, shooting a glance at her gun._

"_No! Please! I'll give you anything! Get me out of here safely and I'll give you whatever you desire!"_

"_You would trust me to do that? I did not swear loyalty as a Knight of the Round should when you were crowned."_

_His confidence boosted by the fact that she had aimed a question at him and not her gun, the emperor explained, "That dog Waldstein swore an oath to protect and serve me. Yet he turned traitor the moment the rebels raised their standards. You did not swear loyalty at all and broke no oath. I believe you to be a woman of honor and integrity Lady Marianne. If you swore loyalty now, I could trust you as a faithful servant. In fact, I'd appoint you the Knight of Two. Your rewards would be immense." He gazed at her expectantly. _

"_You expect me to break my vow to Prince Victor and Prince Charles just so I can swear to you?" she snorted, "If I didn't swear loyalty when you usurped the throne, I surely won't now." She raised her rifle and was about to pull the trigger when her head was smashed violently into the window, breaking the already cracked glass and forcing her to drop the rifle. A foot kicked it into the corner of the room._

"_Run Your Majesty! Through the window! There's an armored car waiting to take you to the airport in the courtyard. I'll deal with this traitor!" the voice of the Knight of One, Sir William Marshall, boomed in her ear from behind her. _

_The pretender hurled himself through the window, making an ungraceful landing on the grass and took off running towards the courtyard. _

_Marianne stomped on Marshall's foot and launched a brutal elbow into his gut to free herself from his hold. She attempted to reach the gun but he kicked her down._

"_Oh no you don't!" he bellowed, reaching for the sword at his side. He swung the blade down and she rolled out the way just as the blade crashed into the floor. She rolled once more and found herself next to the gun. Picking it up, she tried to aim but Marshall was already on top of her, a killing blow about to crash on her head. All she could do was parry it away with the butt of the rifle and roll to the side. With seemingly boundless energy the Knight of One swung his sword at her over and over; each blow carrying the intention to kill. It was all she could do to dodge and occasionally parry. Finally, a sword swing knocked away her rifle and its follow up forced her to the ground. A vicious kick to her stomach caused her to double up in pain but she managed to again roll out of the way of the sword. Marshall was readying another swing when she brought him down with a well-placed leg sweep. At such close quarters, he would be unable to swing his sword and their fight devolved into a grappling match. Taking advantage of his surprise, she rolled on top of him and delivered a few knees to his stomach to force him to loosen his grip on the sword. Taking control of the blade, she began to press it at his neck but he recovered quickly. Marshall reversed their positions and using his superior strength, forced the sword at her neck instead. The edge of the blade was only a hair away when a gunshot rang out and Marshall fell dead on top of her._

"_Having fun there Marianne?" The former Knight of Five smirked down at her. Despite his battles with four other Rounds, he didn't seem to have a scratch on him. Not even a blood stain._

"_Just fine, thanks." She pushed Marshall's body off her with a grunt and stood up._

"_Where is the pretender?"_

_She hastened over to the window and quickly located the running figure, "About 800 yards away. Give me your gun."_

_Bismarck threw his rifle to her and watched as she lined up a shot, "Didn't anyone ever tell you not to play with your food?"_

_She ignored his question. "Does a man his age credit you know," she said instead, "To think he could still run about a kilometer without stopping."_

_He walked closer to the window to get a better view, "The desire to live can make a man do incredible things."_

_Marianne didn't answer. She just squeezed the trigger three times and three shots rang out. The distant figure of Henry fell down and stopped moving. She breathed a sigh of relief. It was over._

* * *

"We're here my lady."

Marianne was shaken out of her reverie by her knight's announcement. She looked out the window of her car and saw the grand double doors of the Imperial Palace. Without even waiting for the footman, she opened the door herself and stepped out. Jeremiah, used to his mistress's ways after years of service, was already by the car door and quickly stepped in behind her. He gave the confused young footman an apologetic look. Servants not used to Marianne's ways often had no idea of how to act around her and were often thrown off balance. Her long legs took her quickly up the stairs. Guards stationed every ten steps bowed as she went past and the guards at the gate were scurrying to open the enormous doors. Marianne had not been to the Imperial Palace in years and they had grown unused to her pace. The doors were fully open by the time she neared and she nodded to the guards as she walked through. She stopped and turned to face them, "And how are you doing today boys?"

The guards, unaccustomed to being addressed, could only mumble their answers or stare in shock at the empress who had thrown them completely out of rhythm in the one minute she had been there. Marianne smiled benignly at them until finally one of the guards spoke up clearly, "We're doing well Your Majesty. Thank you for asking."

"That's good to hear. Being overworked is bad for your health you know. Do take care." She turned around and resumed her pace into the palace.

Marianne ignored the majority of nobles who gawked at her as she walked by. Some smiled or nodded at her and she returned the gesture but many had not seen her in years and had assumed she had fallen out of favor with the emperor. To see her walk so brazenly in the direction of his personal quarters and office shattered that illusion. She was at the door to the Hall of Portraits now, the divide that marked off the emperor's quarters from the rest of the palace. She once again stopped to greet the guards, this time two of the Rounds.

"Your Majesty." Dorothea Ernst and Nonette Enneagram bowed.

"Lady Ernst and Lady Enneagram, how are you today?"

The Knight of Four and the Knight of Nine answered simultaneously.

"We're very well Your Majesty. Thank you for your concern. "

"Eh, I'm alright I guess. Boring as hell being on guard duty though. How 'bout you Marianne?"

Dorothea and Jeremiah stared at Nonette in shock. Marianne laughed, "I'm quite well myself thank you. Could you let Charles know I need to speak with him?"

Nonette turned to the wall and pressed a button down before speaking into a microphone, "Empress Marianne here to see His Majesty."

A moment later an order came back, "Send her through."

Dorothea opened the door and Marianne walked through. Jeremiah nodded at his fellow knights as he passed by. Dorothea nodded back but Nonette threw him a wink and licked her lips suggestively. Without batting an eye, Jeremiah just turned forward and continued walking. Dorothea closed the door and gave her colleague an exasperated look.

Nonette extended her hand towards the Knight of Four, "I told you he was gay. Now pay up."

* * *

Marianne walked towards the door at the end of the hallway. Monica Kruszewski, Knight of Twelve, was waiting by the door. She bowed as the empress approached and smiled at Jeremiah, "Your Majesty, the emperor has instructed me to ask you to wait as he finishes up his meeting. I'm sorry for the trouble."

Marianne smiled at the gentle young woman, "It's quite alright." She turned towards the painting on the right side of the door. Thirty years ago it had been Henry XVI's likeness which had stood opposite of Edward VIII. Now it was a portrait of Charles V, painted after his coronation which took the spot of the 98th frame in the hall. The painter, a master of the Britannian style, had captured all of her husband's mystique and grandeur at once. His legs and feet, in black military boots, stood apart while his arms were fully extended at an angle allowing his ungloved hands to rest on the pommel of a sword standing parallel to him. Instead of the ballroom clothes favored by other emperors for their portraits, Charles had chosen his military dress uniform. The red dress jacket stretched tight across a powerful chest. His broad shoulders were emphasized by the black cloak with golden epaulets on each shoulder. Instead of wearing a crown he had chosen to wear his hair loose, letting it flow over his back and around his face. The hair framing his face only emphasized his brilliant amethyst eyes. Even in the painting, they radiated power and command. His mouth, in a rare occurrence, was curled slightly upward. Even as he was being painted, the emperor knew everything about the painting would intimate he was a warrior king. And the knowledge pleased him; otherwise he would have never allowed such a glimmer of a smile to be recorded for posterity.

The door suddenly opened and brought Marianne back to reality. Bismarck Waldstein, Knight of One, stepped out and nodded in greeting at his former colleague. "Empress Marianne, His Majesty will see you now." He nodded at her knight, "Sir Gottwald."

"Lord Waldstein." Jeremiah nodded back.

"It's good to see you too Bismarck." The empress strode past him with Jeremiah dutifully following behind. Bismarck followed and closed the door.

Inside she found her husband, looking just as powerful as he did in the painting with the exception of gray hair, and his twin brother poring over a stack of blueprints. She curtsied as was proper for a meeting with the emperor, "Your Majesty. Your Grace, what a pleasant surprise to see you here."

The Archduke Victor looked up and gave her a smile, "Marianne, if I had a pound for every time I heard you say that… well it still wouldn't be enough to finance a factory to build these upgraded Sutherlands. Maybe you can convince Charles of the merits of upgrading our current fleet."

"We can talk about this later brother," Charles leaned back in his chair and looked at his wife, "Now what did you need Marianne?"

"It's good I have all three of you here," she started, looking at Charles and Victor before turning to glance at Bismarck. "You see, Lelouch has decided on what he wishes to do for a career and I was hoping you could give him a bit of a start."

Now the emperor began to show genuine interest. She knew the reason behind it. It was well known to Marianne that Schneizel, Cornelia and Lelouch were the only children of his that Charles regarded with respect to their abilities or their potential. Schneizel had already fulfilled his potential, holding down two positions as the emperor's Chancellor and Foreign Minister at only the age of 27. Cornelia was well on the way to fulfilling hers as well at the same age, having been recently promoted to full General and given command of the 3rd Army Group in Area 18 with the responsibility of guarding the Empire's Mediterranean and Middle Eastern holdings. But Lelouch interested him most because the boy had shown tenacity and promise at an earlier age than even Schneizel when her son had gone ahead and earned his two degrees. Since then he had done nothing of note but Marianne knew her husband continued to have high hopes for Lelouch.

"That depends, I think, on what he wants to do Marianne. We can hardly give the prince help if he decides to become a scientist." Bismarck spoke up.

"Nothing of the sort although he does seem to be suited for it doesn't he? No. Lelouch intends to enter the military; the army to be specific."

Given that all three men knew of the prince's physical frailties. There could only be one dumbfounded response to such a statement and all three men said it at once, "What?"

Jeremiah fought to contain a smirk. His mistress definitely knew how to throw people off.

* * *

And that's Chapter 1. Reviews are of course welcome, even hate mail (Any publicity is good publicity amirite?). I apologize for any grammatical or spelling errors.


	3. Chapter 2: The Black Queen

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Code Geass or any of its characters. Code Geass is the property of Sunrise and Bandai Entertainment.

This chapter is dedicated to all the mothers out there. They may scheme and plot behind their childrens' backs but in the end they really do know what's best. Happy Mothers Day!

* * *

The Black Queen

They had been at it for well over two hours now and there was barely a dent in the manila tower. Lelouch wrinkled his nose at the candidate they were looking at, "He's too old. Twenty-nine and still only a captain."

"Jeremiah is only a year younger. And he's also a captain." Nunnally pointed out.

"Jeremiah was also knighted when he was twenty-two. He's been doing the job for six years now and don't forget he was promoted to major last month. I thought you sent him a gift for that?" He looked back at the file, "Besides, this man's never been recommended for even a Royal Guard position. That should say something." The prince closed the folder and threw it onto the slowly growing "No" pile on the table. They had designated the spot next to it the "Maybe" pile. It had only one file in it. The next spot over was the "Interview" pile. That one was empty.

Nunnally sighed and reached for the next candidate's files, "Soresi, Marika. Twenty-two years old. OF-2. Graduated top one percent of her class from VMI and then attended IMA West Point where she was advanced into the Knightmare Training Program. She scored a ninety-two percent on the simulator, a ninety-one in field tests and has seen action in Area Eleven and Area Eighteen with the 8th Imperial Hussars. She's also been cited for 'coolness under fire' and 'tactical creativity.'"

"Any political connections?"

"Her father is the Baron of Athens in Georgia."

"Throw her into the 'Maybes.'" Lelouch opened up the next file and chuckled.

"What is it?" Nunnally leaned over and began to read with interest, "Soresi, Kewell. Twenty-seven years old. OF-4. Also graduated top one percent of his class from VMI and then attended IMA West Point where he was advanced into the Knightmare Training Program. He scored a ninety-one percent on the simulator and ninety percent in field tests. Thereafter he attended advanced courses at the Imperial War College before entering service with the King's Royal Lancers. Wounded in combat during the conquest of Area Eleven and again while on tour in Area Eighteen," She glanced at her brother, "He seems to have a penchant for getting hurt and in Area Eleven during the invasion no less. I can understand getting hurt in Area Eighteen, after all the rebels there had European KMFs but the Elevens couldn't even hit a Glasgow let alone dent one. He can't be much of a pilot, despite those scores."

The prince's eyes scanned the rest of the file, "It says here he used his machine to cover a large explosive the JDF managed to hide at the side of the road. His squad only spotted it when it was about to go off. Poor fellow took the blast point-blank and was laid up in the hospital for nearly a year. But he managed to save three other pilots and their machines. At the very least he's brave."

Nunnally raised an eyebrow, "And stupid."

Her brother smiled but kept reading, "Well the file states his injury in Area Eighteen came from fighting off a rebel ambush. It seems that while leading a patrol, then-First Lieutenant Soresi and five other pilots were pinned down by several anti-KMF teams supported by a squadron of Mk-1 Panzer Hummels. Four of the other pilots were taken out in the initial salvo but Soresi and the remaining pilot managed to hold off the Panzers until help could arrive. Seems he's not as bad a pilot as you would believe then."

Nunnally turned her head away and sniffed, "Put him in the 'Interview' pile then. We'll find out soon enough."

Lelouch laughed, "I suppose we will."

* * *

Marianne smiled at her husband and her brother-in-law, "Lelouch has decided he wants to enter the army. I've come to talk to you about giving our son a commission."

The brothers looked at each other. Violet eyes met violet eyes and an exchange of thoughts and information was passed silently in the way that only twins can. Finally the archduke nodded and walked out of the office. The emperor leaned back into chair, and clasped his hands in front of him. He cast his gaze down at the papers on his desk and ignored his wife as if the room was empty.

For the first time, Marianne noticed that her husband was beginning to show his age. Though his body looked just as strong as the day he first sat on the throne, his eyes were tired and his shoulders sagged. The tolls of running an empire as large as Britannia were finally showing. She knew he would never let his guard down like this anywhere else or with anyone else. Only his brother, favorite wife and most trusted Knight would ever be allowed to watch as the old legend's powers began their sure but steady decline.

Charles finally looked up at her. His eyes, unguarded and tired moments ago, were suddenly lit with fire. Without turning, Marianne dismissed her knight, "Jeremiah, please leave us."

Her faithful servant bowed and left leaving husband and wife staring at each other. To her it seemed like an eternity before he spoke, "It had always been one of my sincerest wishes that I would have a son who would be able to carry on my military legacy. Schneizel has the potential and the ability but he chose politics. His talents wasted on the bickering and blustering of grown men acting like children." He snorted with derision, "Odysseus is a mediocrity at best. And I try not to speak ill of the dead, but what was Clovis but a fop? Had he become emperor he would have driven the treasury to bankruptcy with just his Coronation Ball alone. Then there are the others: Andrew, Geoffrey, Albert, William, Arthur, Edward and of course Ricardo. None of them are worthy or capable of carrying on my legacy. Some of them entered the military and some will eventually choose to enter the military, no doubt in an effort to please me, but none of them have the gift for it."

Marianne did not dare speak. She knew that she was the most cherished of the emperor's wives and was privy to many of his secrets and plans but Charles rarely confided in her with the blunt honesty that he was putting on display now. That role in the emperor's life had always been filled by his brother.

"There are my daughters of course. Guinevere could never be bothered by it. Too busy with balls and dinner parties and the latest gossip. Cornelia! Now Cornelia has that natural knack for warfare that nearly all of my sons seemed to have missed out on but she's lost all her ambition since she was made a Colonel. Besotted with that knight of hers, Marquess Guilford's oldest son. Now she serves out of duty and because it's the only thing she knows. Damn good at it though. Euphemia and the others are too soft. Nothing like Cornelia. Not even Carine, bloodthirsty as she is."

The door opened and Victor re-entered the room carrying a single file. He opened it and handed the papers inside to his brother. Charles took a moment to read them before looking back at his consort, "No, Marianne. None of those children will be able to succeed me as a soldier. For years now, my hopes have been pinned on our children. I had almost given up, the boy being as lazy as he is and his sister being spoiled rotten by the two of you." He began to sign the papers, ten signatures in all, before putting them back in the folder and extending it to Marianne.

The empress flipped through them and looked up astonished, "These are enlistment papers."

Her husband rose out of his seat and walked behind it to look outside the window, "And the enrollment forms for West Point. He'll start with the same advantages as any of the other princes. I don't intend to go easy on the boy, but I won't force him to start as a private either. He will be commissioned as a Second Lieutenant should he graduate. After that he'll have to work his way up himself. I know he intends to play the game. Why else would he choose the military? What better to way to protect his life than to make himself indispensable to the me by becoming one of my generals?"

Charles turned to face his wife, "But, Marianne, not all my generals are indispensable. Should Lelouch succeed as you hope, he will find his ascent eased considerably. However, if he should fail then you know that his fall will be sudden and brutal. I would not be able to help him. Are you willing to let him do this?"

There it was, the emperor's admission that he would do nothing to help or harm Lelouch beyond what he had already done. And the chance to withdraw on her son's behalf. She knew it was not her choice to make, "Lelouch will decide by himself. Princes do as they are wont to do."

Charles gave a rare smile, lasting just a second. "Good," he rumbled, "Now leave me. There is still work to be done."

Marianne curtsied. Then she left.

She and Jeremiah were nearly at the door leading back to the palace's main halls when she heard Victor calling her name. She stopped and waited until he caught up to them, "I would like to speak with you, about Lelouch."

"Of course Your Grace."

"In my office if you don't mind," He pointed down to the other end of the hallway, "This way please."

* * *

_Pendragon's defenders had surrendered the city without a shot after the body of Henry mi Britannia was shown in a live broadcast from zi Britannia headquarters. To some the act was practically sacrilege. Displaying the body of a Britannian emperor washed with his own blood and filth and riddled with bullets, not suitable for a commoner's burial let alone an emperor's, was the greatest disrespect to the deceased and his kin. It was the sort of act that could have sparked war anew if the mi Britannia family and their allies had not been battered and brutalized into submission. Instead it served as a message and a lesson from Victor and Charles zi Britannia to the other families: "This man was never the Holy Britannian Emperor. He was a pretender who usurped the rightful succession and he has paid for this transgression with his life. Let all those who would play the game of power learn from his example. For the strong survive and the weak are eaten."_

_Marianne felt there was no better punishment for the man and his friends who had started such a bloody war. But in order for the broadcast to be made, the body would have had to be removed from the city. It sounded simple enough. In hindsight she decided it was one of the most nerve-wracking things she had ever done as a knight. The mission parameters had stated that should either one of both of them succeed then they would rendezvous with an extraction team in the city's financial district which had been reported as deserted._

_First they collected the body, a task they completed unopposed as Bismarck had killed or seriously maimed nearly all the guards on his way in with the handful left running away in fear. Then they walked, at a leisurely pace, to the car garage where a large collection of Italian sports cars, German luxury sedans and Britannian luxury SUVs awaited them. Marianne had argued for taking one of the Ferraris or perhaps even a Lamborghini. Bismarck won in the end though, with the irrefutable logic that a sports car would be too conspicuous in a nearly empty city on high alert. He chose a green Land Rover and gave Marianne the keys, "If we get stopped, the police and guards will let you go if you say you're evacuating the pretender to a safer location. You weren't seen on your way in correct?" _

"_I'm not you. I got in without touching a single hair on the guards," She laughed before quickly amending, "Finn doesn't count."_

"_Then they'll have no reason to hold you. Especially if they see his silhouette in the back. I'll prop his body up on the seats and hide on the floor. Don't roll down the back windows. Don't even roll down the front windows fully. All you have to do is give them a glimpse of him and they'll be satisfied."_

_It was a flawless plan. Nothing could go wrong, they were both sure of it. Marianne had charmed the guards at the checkpoint and was rolling up the windows when a black Cadillac town car pulled up behind them. Its driver had gotten out, gesturing wildly at the Land Rover and yelling something at the guards. They had been able to make out a few sentences, "That's not one of the emperor's knights!" and "Knight of One is dead!" _

_She had forgotten about Marshall's car and driver. Marianne turned to give the guard the "Who would you rather believe" routine when from the corner of her eye in the rear view mirror she saw that Henry's head had started lolling forward leading the rest of his body to fall headlong into the back of her seat. _

_The guard had seen too. "Stop them!" He roared._

_Bismarck popped up from the backseat and shot the man, yelling in her ear "Step on it!" _

_She stamped on the accelerator, the Land Rover smashed two police cars and scraped a third as it made a mad dash for freedom. They exited St. Darwin Street not a moment too late as a pair of police cruisers had arrived on the scene and began to follow them._

_With the cruisers following behind, the city's organized block layout started to work against them. Roadblocks and the appearance of other police cars herded them back towards the center of the city. "The streets in the Old Town District aren't planned out and are messier. We can lose them there." Bismarck said._

"_How are we supposed to get there? It's on the other side of the city." She turned again as two more cruisers appeared to block off her path._

"_Drive straight here and get on the Cross-City Expressway."_

_An armed roadblock appeared ahead of them flanked by two tanks. "Just keep going," he said, "They won't open fire. They think we're kidnapping the pretender. That's why we haven't been shot at the entire time."_

_Marianne complied, pressing the pedal to the floor. Men dove to the sides as the Land Rover burst through the barricades and drove onto the expressway. A fleet of police cars, joined by a helicopter, pursued them down the highway. Because the expressway only had exits for the major city districts they were no encounters with roadblocks until the exit ramp that lead into the Old Town. At Bismarck's urging, Marianne drove through these as well to take them into the winding streets of the Old Town._

_Old Town had been built by Spanish colonists nearly three centuries before Pendragon had become the capitol. The land was not level like the rest of the city and the roads had been laid out haphazardly. The result was numerous alleys and side streets could lead anywhere or nowhere._

_The Land Rover turned into a narrow alley. The closest cars overshot the turn while those farther behind were able to follow. Using the district's confusing layout, Marianne led their hunters on a wild chase that caused all of the police cars to eventually lose sight of their quarry. Now only the helicopter remained, following them no matter where they went. She knew that with the helicopter providing directions it would only be a matter of time before the cruisers caught up again. Once again it was Bismarck who provided the solution, "Pull into that parking garage," he pointed at a three-story deck ahead of them, "We'll abandon the car and make our way through the city on foot." _

_While the going would be slow, they would be able to hide more easily and kill any guards that came across them should the need arise. She turned in and parked. The two knights got out and Bismarck carried the dead emperor across his back. They began the search for an exit. It would only be minutes before they were surrounded._

* * *

_The helicopter pilot could not believe what the kidnappers had done. He quickly radioed in his position, calling in all vehicles. In the meantime, he would circle the building to ensure the rebels did not escape. Within minutes of his transmission, the block was surrounded by more than fifty police and military vehicles. _

_With the Knight of One dead and the living Rounds unaccounted for, Pendragon's Chief of Police Sir Jesse Curry took charge, "I want snipers on all the surrounding rooftops. They have the order to shoot on sight if presented with a shot that will not harm the emperor. Set up roadblocks on every street exit and post guards at every building exit on the block. Make sure every alley, back street, side street and foot path is covered. Then assemble two – no, three assault squads and have two ready to enter from the ground floor and one from the top floor," He turned towards a young officer, "Has anyone attempted to make contact with the kidnappers?"_

"_Yes sir, Detective Middleton has been on the megaphone."_

"_And?"_

"_No response sir."_

_Minutes later another officer ran up, "Assault teams are almost assembled sir. They should be ready to go in five minutes"_

"_Is everything else I asked for set up?"_

"_Almost sir, the last snipers are getting into position. The ones already in place report no visual of the kidnappers."_

"_If we don't hear anything from these rebels in five minutes, tell the assault teams to enter. They are to do whatever is necessary to retrieve the emperor. I don't care about the kidnappers."_

_The messenger ran off to relay the orders. Five minutes later, no contact had been made and the assault teams were given the signal to enter. Alpha and Bravo teams entered through the car entrance while Charlie team rappelled off a nearby building and crossed over onto the top deck. As the teams raced to find the green Land Rover, they checked every other car and behind the stairwells for any signs._

_Inside a mobile HQ vehicle where Curry sat, a radio buzzed to life. "This is Bravo leader. We have located the kidnappers' vehicle but there are no signs of the kidnappers or the emperor. I repeat: there are no signs of the kidnappers or the emperor."_

_Alpha and Charlie soon radioed in to report the same. "Impossible!" the police chief insisted, "Bring in dogs. I want every inch of this block triple checked!" But four hours and three full searches later the result was still the same. Even as the police chief insisted upon searches through the entirety of the Old Town, he knew it was a fruitless endeavor. Somehow the kidnappers had escaped._

* * *

_**Four Hours Earlier…**_

_With a grunt, Bismarck moved the manhole cover back to its original place. He dropped down into the grime where Marianne was carrying the pretender's corpse. She handed the body back to him and pointed down one end of the tunnel they were standing in, "The financial district is in the north. If we keep going in this direction, we should eventually reach it."_

_Using the sewage systems had been Marianne's idea. Finding only one door on the ground floor, they had exited through it and emerged into an alleyway shared with an apartment building. Sirens could already be heard in the distance and seeing no other alternative, Marianne had suggested the sewers after noticing the manhole cover only a few feet away from the door. She kept watch while Bismarck attempted to move the heavy disk. There had been several close calls as the helicopter had flown overhead but eventually the cover budged and Marianne climbed down. Bismarck, carrying the body, followed her just in time as the screech of tires and shouts of orders being given could be heard nearby. _

_They were making good progress though and the stench was almost bearable. The sewers had seen little use since residents had begun to evacuate as news of the approaching army had spread. _

_Every so often they would come across another manhole and Bismarck would climb up the to move it, checking that no one was around before raising his head to discern where they were and get a breath of fresh air. Three hours after they had first entered the sewers, he poked his head out and saw a park and tall office buildings indicative of the financial district. He looked down at his colleague, "We're here." _

_He climbed down to take the body from her and climbed back up and out of the hole. Marianne followed him. She looked around, getting her bearings before nodding towards the park, "I think the rendezvous point is supposed to be inside this park."_

_They walked into the park and it was not long before they came across a news chopper sitting in the middle of a playing field. The knights looked at each other, shrugged and began to approach. The pilot was engrossed in a novel and did not notice them until Marianne spoke, "You our ride?"_

_The man gave a start and dropped his book. Clearly not a military man she thought. He picked up his book and looked up, "Sure am! I'm guessing you must be Lady Lamperouge and your companion is Lord Waldstein?" _

_Marianne nodded in the affirmative._

"_Hop in and strap down then. But I was told there would only be two of you." He glanced at the body on Bismarck's back._

"_Souvenir." The big knight dryly replied. He climbed into the helicopter and sat down, unceremoniously dumping the corpse on the floor. _

_Marianne followed him and closed the door as the chopper blades began to warm up. "Out of curiosity, why are you our extraction?" she asked the pilot._

"_Prince Victor figured that a news helicopter wouldn't attract much attention so he hired us. People are hungry for any scrap of news about the war so we've been flying over the city and the battlefields the past year without any trouble. It's a pretty exciting time to be in journalism. I'm sure it doesn't beat the thrill of being a knight though right?"_

_She smiled then frowned as she caught a whiff of the sewer and corpse smell now permeating the cabin, "You can't even imagine."_

* * *

_Two hours later they touched down in a field surrounded by tents and makeshift buildings east of Pendragon. Victor zi Britannia stood with a cadre of guards on the edge of the area marked as the helipad. He approached as the chopper's blades began to wind down. Marianne exited the aircraft first and kneeled down on one knee. Bismarck followed her lead and placed the body before the prince. _

"_I see that you've succeeded," Victor chuckled, "In a spectacular fashion I might add. I asked for a token or heirloom to prove that he was dead and here you've brought me the corpse!"_

_He turned to motion two guards over and gave them orders, "Carry this into the press tent and then go tell my brother he can stand down. There won't be any resistance left after they see this." _

_The prince faced the knights again, "Stand! Stand! You're the heroes of the hour. I'll need you to be present at the broadcast. Britannia needs to see the faces of the duo that ended this war on the enemy's doorstep." He wrinkled his nose as he caught the stench of sewage waste wafting from the pair, "You might consider showering first though. Meet in the press tent in half an hour."_

_Forty-five minutes later Marianne, Bismarck and Victor stood before an array of cameras and microphones, Henry's body laid before them on a table. _

_Tall and broad, the prince cut a dashing figure in his military uniform as he began to speak, "For eleven bloody months the armies of the usurper Henry mi Britannia have resisted the will of the Britannian people. For eleven bloody months this pretender has fought an unjust war in an attempt to keep a throne he stole through cowardice and greed. But now those eleven months are at end. Yesterday evening, two former Knights of the Round who were loyal to the true emperor James ne Britannia entered the Imperial Palace and took their vengeance upon the false emperor for the execution of their lord."_

_He gestured to Bismarck and then to Marianne, "Standing by me are those two Rounds: the Knight of Five Lord Bismarck Waldstein and the Knight of Six Lady Marianne Lamperouge. To them I say: Thank you. Thank you for doing what armies could not. Thank you for punishing the pretender for his crimes." To emphasize his words, he turned and embraced them._

_Then he pointed at the body in front of him, "This is body of the usurper Henry mi Britannia. This is the proof that on this day justice has won. To those who would still call themselves his friends or allies I say this: Lay down your arms, surrender unconditionally to the armies of the true emperor and you will be forgiven for your offenses." Victor held up his hand and formed a fist, "Resist and we will crush you. There will be a two hour cease-fire for our offer to be considered. If there is no reply in that time, we will recommence hostilities and will not stop until victory is won on our terms." _

_After the last defenders capitulated, Marianne had the opportunity of watching the speech on TV in her private quarters. All the news networks were carrying the story of Pendragon's surrender. The stations that supported the zi Britannias were already calling Bismarck and her heroes. Those that had supported Henry just ran the speech and the news without commentary. She watched the speech over and over, changing the channel to one that was currently showing the speech. At first she paid attention to the body or Bismarck and herself. But her eyes were eventually drawn to the prince. _

_He was certainly handsome. While Prince Charles was attractive in rough and rugged sort of way, Victor was fair and radiant. Shoulder-length gold hair framed a face with high cheekbones and an aquiline nose. But beauty alone did not draw her to men. The prince was a consummate orator. His striking features would draw all eyes to him but the expressiveness of his lilac eyes and the emotion that ran through his face ensured his audiences remained entranced. _

_At the beginning of his speech he looked sorrowful, mourning for the lives that had been lost to the war. That had morphed to gratitude and relief as he announced the usurper was dead and thanked the knights. His eyes and face showed mercy as he offered forgiveness and then they showed an unbendable will when he warned that all enemies would be crushed. Marianne knew that if she had not already pledged her to life to the zi Britannia cause, watching the speech would have made her a convert. _

_It was no surprise to anyone in camp who had seen the speech when the unconditional surrender of Pendragon arrived before the offer expired. _

* * *

Though he held no formal posts within the government, Victor functioned as a minister without portfolio and served as his brother's closest and most trusted advisor. Thus he spent most of his working hours inside the emperor's office leaving his own rarely used and impersonal.

An empty desk faced the door to allow the office's occupant direct view of anyone entering. A high back chair was placed behind the desk while two lounge chairs were placed in front. A single filing cabinet occupied the right corner of the room and a single painting of some famous Napoleonic era battle hung opposite.

The archduke sat behind his desk and gestured for Marianne to join him. Jeremiah took his normal place standing behind his mistress.

"Can I offer you tea?" Victor asked.

"No, thank you."

He gave a small laugh, "Straight to business then hm? Very well. I thought you ought to know that you aren't the only consort to approach my brother about an army commission for her son."

He pulled out a sheaf of papers from a drawer and handed them to his guest, "Gabrielle la Britannia came by yesterday to demand a colonelcy for young Ricardo. You can imagine her disappointment when all she walked out with were the enrollment papers for West Point."

Marianne scanned over the papers which confirmed that Ricardo la Britannia would be entering West Point in the fall. She scoffed, "Did you want me to warn Lelouch about him? Ricardo is smart but Lelouch is smarter. He'll be a pest at worst." She got up to leave.

"Well there is this one last thing." Victor pulled out a smaller piece of paper and offered it to her.

Marianne sat down again and read it over. It was a bank statement. A transfer of one-hundred million pounds had been made from an account in the Imperial Bank of Pendragon to a private bank account in Dubai. Both accounts were codenamed but the transfer was dated one week before Clovis had been assassinated.

"We dug that up about three months ago," he revealed, "Intelligence has since discovered that the receiving account belongs to Erinys International, a private military contractor headquartered in Dubai. As for the sending account, we have nothing except that the transfer originated from the central bank here in Pendragon."

She looked up at him. Victor had not changed much since thirty years ago although his hair was finally beginning to show signs of gray. His eyes and face, normally windows to his thoughts and emotions, were now blank. She could get no read on what he was thinking.

"Thank you for your help." Marianne got up and walked towards the door. The archduke spoke as Jeremiah opened the door for her. She stopped to hear his words, "It's interesting don't you think?"

She took his bait, "What is? That someone was hired to kill Clovis?"

"No. That Gabrielle would let her remaining son join the military so soon after her other son was killed. You would think she'd hold onto Ricardo as long as she could."

She turned around to ask what he meant but Victor already had his eyes glued to another piece of paper and ignored her. Their conversation was over.

* * *

A big thank you to everyone who reviewed. I'm glad you all enjoyed the first chapter and I hope I can keep delivering interesting chapters worthy of Allora Gale's writing and original idea.

I'm sorry for the long flashback. There will be one last semi-long flashback about Charles's rise to the crown in the next chapter and then we'll proceed to more interesting matters.

The original chase scene actually included more explosions. In fact, it featured so many explosions it could have been lifted out of a script of a Michael Bay movie. That didn't sit well with me so it was changed.

Apologies for any spelling or grammatical errors.

Reviews are always welcome. Even hate mail.


	4. Chapter 3: The Black Rooks

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Code Geass or any of its characters. Code Geass is the property of Sunrise and Bandai Entertainment.

* * *

The Black Rooks

It was nearing dinner by the time Marianne's car pulled up in front of Aries Palace. Jeremiah was waiting for her again as she exited the car. Her own servants and guards, accustomed to the mannerisms and pace of their empress, had the door open. Jeremiah made sure the doors were closed before striding off to personally inspect the palace security and review the guard sentries. The palace's head butler Higgins was by the empress's side as soon as she stepped into the main hall, informing her of the goings-on of the palace while she had been gone.

The butler was an austere looking man. A full head of gray hair was combed back neatly and his chevron mustache was impeccably groomed. Though he stood at an unimpressive five feet nine inches, his ice blue eyes could make him seem ten feet tall when at full power.

"Where are Lelouch and Nunnally?" She looked around. Normally her children could be found helping the servants either cook or set the table around dinner time. Marianne had not forgotten her common upbringing and roots when she became an empress. Ever since they were young, Lelouch and Nunnally had been expected to perform a portion of the household chores.

Her children cleaned and organized their own rooms without assistance, helped plant flowers in the spring and tended to the empress's vegetable greenhouses year round. After Nunnally had thrown a particularly violent tantrum over beets, Marianne had the chefs teach the princess how to cook and the prince volunteered to learn as well. Subsequently the siblings were given the additional duty of making at least one dinner each every week and helping to set up and clean the table every day they did not cook.

"The prince and princess are still inside the study. They seemed to be doing something important so I took the liberty of releasing them of their chores for this evening. I hope you don't mind." Higgins came from a long line of imperial servants. He firmly believed in the class lines that divided Britannian society and frowned upon a prince and princess performing servant's tasks. Thus he took every chance he could to relieve the vi Britannia siblings of their chores.

"Just don't make a habit of it Higgins." Marianne chided, the standard response whenever her butler allowed her children to skip chores.

"I won't ma'am."

Though he often disapproved of his empress's methods, Higgins understood that giving the prince and princess chores to perform, instilled a sense of responsibility, work ethic and understanding of the working classes. Traits that the other imperial children lacked. Children like Ricardo la Britannia.

The empress could not get Victor's words out of her mind. It did seem strange that Gabrielle la Britannia would allow her youngest and only child join the military. The two consorts got along relatively well as Lelouch had been Clovis's favorite playmate and vice versa. Gabrielle was a fine mother but she could be smothering with her mothering. There would have been some serious arm-twisting to get her permission for Ricardo to join the army.

Higgins interrupted her thoughts, "Dinner will be served in ten minutes ma'am. Should I go inform Prince Lelouch and Princess Nunnally?"

"No. I'll go myself."

* * *

Jeremiah left his empress in the capable hands of the palace's butler. Though the old man was at least sixty, he had once been an elite operative in His Majesty's SAS and was still fully capable of protecting his mistress. Jeremiah had the scars and broken nose to prove it.

Higgins had insisted upon testing Jeremiah when Marianne announced she would be taking him as a knight. The old butler told him there would be a series of tests involving shooting and physical combat. Jeremiah had laughed out loud when he learned his opponent in all these contests would be Higgins. It was a massacre.

The knight-to-be was left slack-jawed as the butler fired bullet after bullet from every distance perfectly into the bullseye. The combat portions were actually even worse. Higgins was equally dangerous with a sword in his hand as he was with a gun and there were several close calls where Jeremiah barely dodged in time and received a cut instead of losing a limb. And in the unarmed combat test, the only thing he remembered was getting his nose smashed. Later on he was told that after his nose had been hammered in, the butler had quickly choked him out.

Despite the abysmal showing, Higgins pronounced him a "passable" candidate for Marianne's knight and slowly passed on the handling of Aries Palace's security over to the young soldier.

For the last six years it was part of his duties to check every possible entrance point in the palace, create and assign the guard rotations and be present when the guards changed. He also performed background checks on all potential employees and kept track of who the servants and guards associated with outside the palace.

The empress made things simple by keeping only the minimal amount of servants needed but Jeremiah now prided himself on running a tight ship. He was passing the study on his way to the security room to review camera footage during his absence and prepare for the arrival of the night guardsmen when he heard Nunnally scream.

"Princess!" he burst into the room with his sidearm drawn and ready.

Instead of finding an intruder attempting to kidnap the princess as he imagined in his worst nightmares, Nunnally was covered in a mountain of manila folders and paper as she lay on a chaise. Her brother turned to look at Jeremiah with wide eyes. Then he looked back at his sister and burst into laughter.

Lelouch stopped laughing long enough to explain, "It seems we fell asleep after going through these files. Nunnally had a big pile of the ones we were done with on the table next to her and I suppose they must have just tipped over and caused an avalanche of sorts on her." He snickered and got out of his chair to gather the papers on the ground.

Jeremiah sighed with relief and put away his weapon. He started picking up the papers and matching them as best he could with the right folders.

The princess stood, causing the rest of the papers on her to fall to the floor, "Don't worry about matching them Jeremy. That was our 'No' pile. The ones we have an interest in are still on the table."

He glanced over to see less than ten files in all sitting on the table in two uneven piles. The prince saw where he was looking, "You and mother trimmed it down to five hundred. Nunnally and I trimmed it down to seven. Dreadfully boring work. How many did you start with?"

"About three thousand Your Highness."

"Gods above! Three thousand?" The prince looked staggered, "How did you not die of boredom Jeremy?"

Jeremiah chuckled, "I know many of the candidates around my age so my experience with them factored into it. Her Majesty also saw a great deal of the same candidates when she was looking for a knight. In reality we only had to read about one-third of the files."

"If you know most of the candidates around your age then you can help us cut it down even further," Nunnally grabbed a folder, "What can you tell us about Lieutenant-Colonel Dirk Schrader?"

"Schrader was in the same West Point class as me. He graduated near the top of the class if I remember correctly. But the man's a bit of a war junkie. There wasn't even time to throw our graduation caps before Dirk was in Bolivia hunting down insurgents. From reunions and talking to other classmates it seems that he's been going from warzone to warzone nonstop. Little wonder he's already made O-5."

"So he's like Lord Bradley then?" The princess asked, referring to the bloodthirsty Knight of Ten.

Jeremiah shook his head, "Maybe I should have said he's an adrenaline junkie. Nothing gets his blood pumping like bullets flying all around him. Schrader actively seeks combat zones and his abilities under fire make him a great soldier but he's very average otherwise."

"None of his superiors mentioned that in his records." She said.

"Strictly speaking, only the facts are supposed to appear in military records. Any personal observations or opinions about a soldier are usually exchanged by word of mouth behind closed doors."

"Like right now," Lelouch walked over to the table and picked up a file from the smaller stack, "Now what about Major Kewell Soresi?"

The knight smiled, "Kewell eh? Well he and I go way back. We've known each other since we were fourteen year-old cadets at VMI. The great thing about Kewell is that he's very straight-laced and organized. He does everything by the book. The bad thing about him is that he's very straight-laced. Don't misunderstand, Kewell is creative enough but he'd just rather follow the book's way of doing things."

"And what of his soldiering abilities?" The prince asked.

"He's a fine KMF pilot. I remember him scoring only a ninety or so on his field tests but he was deathly ill the week before. It was a wonder he got those old machines at the academy to move at all! He's a dead shot with almost any gun. Strong as well. All VMI cadets are taught Judo and Krav Maga and Kewell was usually top of the class in unarmed combat. After me of course." Jeremiah gave a big grin.

Nunnally giggled, "So you mean Higgins would still kick the sh-"

"Nunnally!"

The princess snapped her head around and saw her mother eyeing her disapprovingly from the open doorway. Jeremiah turned and bowed. "What have I told you about using that kind of language?" the empress demanded.

"I was going to say shtuffing! That's how the Germans pronounce it. You're always telling me I should pay attention to other cultures so say it with me: 'shtuffing.' I know it starts out sounding the same but…" The princess's protests died when she saw that Marianne was having none of it. She sighed and recited, "Don't swear unless I'm sure no one else will hear me."

Marianne smiled, "That's right. It does a princess no good if she's caught cursing like a sailor. Now, I came to tell you dinner will be ready in a few minutes so come on."

"Alright mother," Lelouch turned to his mother's knight, "Would you be able to answer questions about the other candidates after dinner? There are five more."

"Of course Your Highness. I just need to speak with the night guardsmen and review the security. Should I meet you here in the study?"

The prince nodded and left.

* * *

The vi Britannia family were seated at a round colonial dining table in a small alcove that faced eastward overlooking the palace's famous gardens. It was late spring and the myriad blooms the family had planted earlier in the year were at their best. The setting sun cast a shadow of the palace onto the gardens allowing those sitting in the alcove to view the rainbow flower fields without light glare.

Lelouch enjoyed the view while his mother and sister finished up their salads. He was curious as to how the empress's visit had gone but knew she would tell him eventually. As soon as their plates were clean he collected the dishes and silverware and took them into the adjoining kitchen before bringing back the main course. His family took the plates with polite thank-you's and he sat down, starting into his own meal.

"Your father is doing well." Marianne put her knife and fork down and looked at her eldest.

Lelouch swallowed what he was chewing, "That's excellent news. Long live His Majesty." It was the expected response but his mother did not continue. Instead she picked up her utensils and resumed eating.

He tried again, "How was the rest of your visit mother?"

"It was fine. Charles was with your uncle and Bismarck today so I got to see them as well. They were all curious as to what you intended to do career-wise."

"What did you tell them?" He ate another bite.

"I told them I couldn't be certain as you hadn't discussed the matter with me but that it seemed you were leaning towards the army." Marianne said, bending the truth quite a bit.

Lelouch chewed thoughtfully before answering, "The army is certainly an option. It's the most prestigious of all the military branches and father and uncle were both field marshals. Not only that but none of the emperor's other children have had any success in the military except for Cornelia."

His mother agreed, "That's right. You have a mind suited towards strategy Lelouch and you could rise up quickly if you joined the army. Your father has agreed to let you enroll at West Point. You'll be commissioned as a Second Lieutenant when you graduate."

"Although that is a tempting offer, I'd prefer to join the diplomatic service."

Marianne put her knife and fork down again, "For what reasons?"

Lelouch looked at her, "In order to get into a position of influence in the army I'd have to be promoted rapidly. Father has all of his children earn their way but some of the others are in high positions in the army because of who they know instead of what they know. Despite the fact that you are a former Rounds, I have no such connections to help me up. It's much more likely I'd have to fight against our enemies seeking to keep me down. So really the only way to gain promotion would be through actual combat. If our antagonists in the Defense Ministry and General Staff see that I am doing well on the battlefield then I'll simply be recalled and put in reserve to prevent any further promotion. Or worse yet, I'll be given more and more dangerous assignments with the hope that the enemy will do their dirty work."

Nunnally objected, "I'm certain Cornelia would transfer you to her command."

"I'm not sure being serving under Cornelia would be beneficial either. She might use me as a staff officer to keep me from danger. There would be promotions then, but they would come slowly. Or she could see me as a threat and use me for only the most dangerous missions." He stated darkly.

His sister gave a soft laugh, "Don't be ridiculous Lelouch. She treats us as well as she treats Euphie. Our other half-siblings may want to kill us but Cornelia has always had our best interests at heart."

"We can't be certain of that. Many seem to believe that Cornelia has lost her edge now that she's settling down with Lord Guilford but you don't become an army group general through political connections alone. One day we may all be bowing down to Empress Cornelia li Britannia and Prince-Consort Gilbert." He began cutting his food again but did not eat any, "No, the diplomatic service will be safer. I'll also be under Schneizel's employ."

"That's still not an ideal position to be in though. He could stifle you just as easily as the General Staff or Cornelia." Nunnally interjected.

"Schneizel may very well be the second or third most powerful man in the empire. He knows his position is unassailable. Hence he cares more about performing his duties and the welfare of the empire than family politics. He'll cultivate the careers of others as long as they're able to serve the empire or him," Lelouch pointed out, "If Schneizel recognizes my abilities, which he will, then he'll ensure I have opportunities to advance myself. Look at Clovis. He may have been more interested in the arts and society but he was also a charismatic negotiator. He got his start with Schneizel as a diplomat and eventually secured the Area Eleven governorship with his help."

"And then Schneizel had him killed." His sister pointed out dryly.

"That hasn't been proven and in any case Clovis didn't have a Knight of Honor, just a very inept Royal Guard led by an even more inept commander. I'll be sure to pick my guards more carefully. Besides, the only people who know of my goal are sitting at this table. Clovis may as well have yelled he was striving for succession at a full court."

Their older sibling had not been subtle with his ambitions. As soon as he secured the governorship and thus a base of power, Clovis had denounced the chancellor's policies in the press and generally become a nuisance to his former benefactor. The irritation he was causing was poised to become a full-blown threat when he successfully courted and became betrothed to Amanda Hearst, the only child of George Hearst, Earl of San Francisco. The earl was a powerful media mogul and his assets would have made Clovis a powerful player in the game.

Marianne seemed to be thinking over his arguments, "Do you understand that a Britannian military base is one of the most secure places you could be other than the palace?"

"I do." The prince replied easily.

"And you know that it would be highly unlikely you would be assassinated on a military base because the killer would be caught almost immediately and his employer exposed?" She questioned.

"Yes."

His mother pressed further, "And you know that as a diplomat, you will be expected to live in unfamiliar environments when you travel. Your rooms may or may not be trapped or bugged. There may or may not be entrances for hit men to enter and make your death look like an accident."

Lelouch looked her in the eye, "My knight and guardsmen will protect me. I'd rather take my chances with the assassins than with flying bullets on a battlefield."

Marianne sighed, "Then I have no objections. All a mother can do is help where she can and be a cheerleader. Your father will be a bit disappointed though. He seemed so pleased that I told him you thinking about military."

He smirked, "Father should be used to disappointment seeing who his other children are. I'll make it up to him soon enough."

* * *

Lelouch stretched his arms out and yawned as he walked out of the study. It was nearly midnight now and the palace was asleep. He, Nunnally and Jeremiah had spent hours in the study going over the candidates in detail. Then he decided that they ought to go over the dismissed candidates as well with the knight's insight, just in case they missed a gem. It was a good idea as Nunnally decided to interview two candidates she had originally discarded. Warrant Officer Charmelle Finlay and Captain Villetta Nu joined Lieutenants Marika Soresi and Liliana Vergamon as possible knights.

It was less productive for Lelouch. None of the originally discarded candidates seemed capable enough to him, even with Jeremiah's commentary. He sent the knight to bed and stayed by himself in the study, debating the choices for more than an hour. In the end the prince cut down his list until only the older Soresi remained then added a warrant officer by the name of Zectole Vignal after some deliberation.

As Lelouch walked up the stairs to his room he contemplated the two non-commissioned candidates. Finlay and Vignal made for unusual candidates. While warrant officers and other NCOs were often included in the knighthood candidate pools, they usually were older and more experienced soldiers. Finlay would be considered a statistical outlier at twenty-three and Vignal was a complete anomaly, being only nineteen. The prince's curiosity had allowed Vignal to make the cut. There would have been a good reason he had been put forth as a candidate for knighthood.

His thoughts shifted to sleep as he neared his door. When he opened it he was hit by a blast of chilly nighttime air. He flipped the lights on and saw the source. "Forgot to close my windows again," he muttered, shivering a bit as walked through his cold room to the windows.

The windows proved immovable as he strained against them.

"I don't think you'll be able to close them. I've made sure they're jammed open."

His heart hammered as he spun around. A masked man dressed entirely in black leaned against the wall by the door. A knife hung loosely in his right hand.

"I must ask that you leave at once." Lelouch said, attempting to keep the fear out of his voice.

The man gently closed the door and began to stalk forward, "I don't think so, not until I've done what I came for."

As the prince opened his mouth to yell, the man leapt forward. Lelouch felt the blade under his chin. The words died in his throat. "Stay quiet or else I'll cut your throat and let you bleed out on the floor," The assassin threatened, "But I don't want to do that. I'd rather not leave marks. So if you'll move over to your bed and lay face down on your pillow, I can make it look like you suffocated in your sleep. Slowly and quietly now."

The man walked behind him as Lelouch took slow deliberate steps towards the bed. "I'll pay you double whatever you're being paid to let me live. I won't even tell anyone you've been here." He promised.

The hit man chuckled quietly, "I don't think so. Clovis offered me triple before he died. What makes you think double will do it?"

"Quadruple it then."

"I'm a dead man as soon if I take you up on that. Besides, I'm getting steady work killing you Imperial brats and I've been promised more. Wouldn't want to jeopardize that."

The prince stopped in front of the bed and put his hands up. "What are you doing?" the assassin hissed.

"It won't look natural or accidental, if that's what you're going for," Lelouch kept his hands up and slowly turned around, "My family, my mother's knight, the guards and all the servants know that I sleep in pajamas. If I'm found dead on the bed wearing my day clothes that'll immediately arouse suspicion. You should let me change into my pajamas first before killing me."

"I'll just change you after you're dead. Now turn around and lie down." The man replied with a leer in his voice.

"But you'll have to stay longer just to change my clothes. The night guards make rounds and check in on us at night. My mother has many enemies so we take precautions like these. There's every chance you'll get caught." Lelouch lied quickly. The night guards were never allowed into their rooms without first receiving permission.

The man snorted, "You're being too helpful. I don't believe you."

The prince affected the most pathetic face he could as he pleaded "I don't want my poor mother to know I was assassinated. We were just discussing this earlier at dinner and she's always feared for our lives. It would go a long way to soothe her if she thought I died naturally. As my dying wish, please?"

The assassin seemed to stare at him for ages before he finally relented, "The knife stays at your throat. One word and I cut it. Understood?"

Lelouch winced as the blade was pressed into his skin, "Understood."

He took his shirt off first. As he spread his arms out to pull the pajama tops on, the assassin's view of him was briefly obscured by the shirt. Lelouch took the opportunity to quickly step away from the blade and roll onto the ground towards the door, barely escaping a knife swing. "Guards! Help! Intruder in my room!" He pried the door open quickly and tried to escape.

The hit man growled, "You've done it now." He leapt forward and slammed the door shut before the prince could escape. Lelouch dodged a knife swing by rolling out of the way again. He scrambled to his feet but fell backwards as he dodged the incoming blade. The bed caught his fall but he was only able to complete half a roll when the knife found its mark. The blade entered his side above the hip and he cried out.

"I don't normally enjoy this," the assassin snarled, "But sometimes it's a real pleasure."

* * *

Jeremiah was awoken when one of his men burst into his bedroom, "Sir Gottwald, there's an intruder in the prince's room!"

Instantly alert, the knight jumped out of bed grabbed the pistol he kept underneath his pillow. He blew past the guard and flew towards the prince's room. A gunshot made him speed up. The sound of three more bullets being fired echoed through the halls as he stopped in front of the open door.

Jeremiah's worst fears were realized when he entered the room. The prince was lying on the bed, his naturally pale skin growing pallid as the white sheets around him turned red with blood. One of his men stood with a rifle aimed out the window. Another was administering first aid to the prince. The knight turned to the guard who had called him, "Tell the garage to bring a car around and send four men each to guard the empress and the princess. Then bring a stretcher." The man ran off to fulfill the orders.

He turned to the man helping the prince, "How bad is it?"

"A stab wound above his left side above the pelvis missed hitting any organs. The throat was cut but it's shallow and the jugular and carotid were missed but his heart was hit. It isn't hemorrhaging and the heart isn't punctured but there may be internal bleeding. I'm applying pressure to both wounds. He'll live if we get him to the hospital quickly."

Jeremiah's heartbeat rose as he absorbed the information. Knowing he could do nothing until the stretcher arrived he turned to address the soldier by the window, "Did he get away?"

"Yes sir. He jumped out the window and ran. What should we do?"

Jeremiah pulled out all the stops, "Close all entrances. Send out all off-duty guards to patrol the grounds and secure the perimeter. I want search helicopters to assist them. Leave no inch of the grounds uncovered. Then alert the Household Division and ask them to secure the perimeter of St. Darwin's. After that call Pendragon police and bring the K-9 unit in. We're going to find this bastard."

Two guards ran in with a stretcher, "Sir, the car you asked for is in front of the palace."

"Help me move the prince over. Be gentle."

He addressed the prince, "Your Highness, we're going to move you now. There's a car waiting to take you to the hospital. Don't panic. You'll be fine."

Lelouch blinked once to show he understood and the knight calmed a bit. Jeremiah and one of the messengers gently lifted the prince onto the stretcher. Two guards carried the stretcher while the third continued to apply pressure. They were out the front door when Marianne and Nunnally came rushing down the stairs still in their nightgowns, guards running hastily after them.

"Jeremiah what is–" the empress paled when she saw her son on the stretcher, "Lelouch!"

She hurried forward. Nunnally stood on the bottom steps, stunned into silence and her eyes wide with shock.

"He'll live if we can get him to the hospital," Jeremiah assured his mistress, "We're taking him there now. I've put the entire palace on lockdown and the men are hunting for the assassin. It would be best if you and Princess Nunnally returned to your rooms."

"I'm coming with you." The princess spoke up. She ran to her brother's side and gasped at the blood-soaked cloth covering his chest and neck wounds.

"There is no room in the car princess. I can have another car brought up if you insist on coming but His Highness needs to go to the hospital now."

"I want to stay with Lelouch." She protested, watching the guards move her brother into the backseat.

Marianne put a hand on her daughter's shoulder, "Jeremiah's right." She turned to her knight, "Go with him. Nunnally and I will wait for another car."

He bowed, "I've already called for three more cars so guards may accompany you. Please stay inside until they come around."

She nodded and guided her daughter back into the palace. Jeremiah got into the front passenger seat and the car drove off.

* * *

Jeremiah was sure this was his personal hell. He had called the hospital while in the car to let them know of the prince's arrival. A team of doctors and nurses was waiting for them when the car pulled up. After a quick inspection, Lelouch was rushed into the emergency room and Jeremiah was given no explanation other than a quick, "You got him here just in time."

That had been five hours ago. Five hours contemplating how exactly an assassin had penetrated the defenses he took so much pride in. The knight knew he was at fault. He must have missed something on the tapes or one of the men had chosen for duty was unfit. Perhaps one of the servants had been bribed or blackmailed into letting the assassin in. It did not matter what the reason was. In the end he had failed. As soon as the prince was stable, he would give the empress his resignation. Serving Marianne was the only thing he had ever wanted to do. The thought of vacating his post made him miserable.

Jeremiah's misery was compounded with guilt when the prince's family appeared minutes after his own arrival. No words had been exchanged. Instead the three sat together quietly in a private waiting room, each reflecting on the events of the night. Marianne's face was stony and she sat silently, her back ramrod straight. He knew she would be an anxious wreck on the inside though. Nunnally was not so disciplined. The princess vacillated between silent sobbing and feigned nonchalance. Wet patches under her eyes gave away that she had been crying whenever she tried to imitate her mother.

The door opened and a doctor entered, looking exhausted. He was dressed in bloody scrubs and his forehead had a light sheen of sweat. Jeremiah tensed, preparing for the worst. Nunnally looked like she was ready to start a new round of crying. Marianne took charge, "How is my son?"

"Prince Lelouch will make it." The doctor informed them.

The empress relaxed, her back no longer so upright as she buried her head into her hands. The princess burst into fresh tears, this time in relief. Jeremiah let out a breath he had not known he was holding.

"It was very fortunate Sir Gottwald got the prince here when he did," the doctor continued, "The knife hit the right atria of the heart which gave the prince the precious minutes he needed to get here but it was very close. We've operated and repaired the damage. Given enough time to recuperate, His Highness will make a full recovery. We've also sewn up the wound to his side and the cut on his throat. He'll be able to speak in a few days."

Nunnally wiped away the last of her tears, "Can we see him?"

"Of course princess. Prince Lelouch is asleep and resting. I just ask that you not wake him."

Lelouch was being kept in a private room on the top floor of the hospital. Guards were stationed at the elevator, the stairs and outside the prince's room. They sat in near darkness, the only light in the room coming from the LEDs of the machines monitoring the prince and helping him breath. Tubes ran into his mouth and and nostrils, sustaining him while he healed. Marianne held her son's hand as she ran her fingers through his hair. Nunnally held his other hand.

"Your Majesty," Jeremiah began, "I am immeasurably regretful for my failure and no longer feel adequate to serve as your knight."

The empress looked at him, "What are you saying Jeremy?"

"I'm offering my resignation my lady. Prince Lelouch's condition is a direct result of my failure as head of security." He explained.

She waved off his concerns, "Don't be stupid. The men that saved my son, were they not trained by you? Was it not your idea to make sure every guard was proficient in first aid? This was one mistake. I know you'll never make one like it again. Now I don't want to hear any more of this nonsense."

"But–" His cell phone rang before he could finish. He answered it, "Gottwald."

"Sir Gottwald," the voice on the other end said, "This is Higgins."

"Higgins? Do you need speak to Her Majesty?" Jeremiah looked bewildered. Marianne looked at him questioningly.

"That won't be necessary. I wanted to inform you that I've apprehended Prince Lelouch's would-be assassin."

* * *

"I will. Please send His Highness my best wishes for a speedy recovery." Higgins hung up.

The butler walked over to a table. His prisoner was lay face up on it with his arms, legs and neck strapped against the surface. The assassin appeared to be of Britannian or European descent and his brown eyes glared up at his captor with hate.

"One last chance, who sent you?" Higgins asked.

He turned away as his captive spit at him. With a resigned sigh the butler covered the man's head with a piece of cloth. He reached down and pulled up a bucket of water and began to pour it over the prisoner's face. At first the man didn't move but after twenty seconds he began to writhe against his restraints.

"You're very well-trained," Higgins remarked as the last drops of water splashed onto the table. He dropped the empty container and picked up another one, pouring again. This time the man began to thrash immediately. His muscles tensed and his back arched as he tried to break free. Higgins paused the pouring to deliver a vicious blow to the man's midsection. He stopped struggling and began to choke. The butler removed the cloth once the bucket was empty. His prisoner wheezed and coughed up water.

Higgins leaned down, his ice blue eyes flashing with the promise of pain to come, "Who sent you?"

* * *

Thank you for all the kind reviews! I said there would be a flashback in this chapter but there wasn't any place to put it. It's saved and will appear in a future chapter. I do not condone torture or waterboarding but Higgins is a BAMF.

Apologies for any spelling or grammatical errors.

Reviews are always welcome. Even hate mail. As long as it's constructive hate mail.


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